Toy building-block.



J. H. RAMSEY, V. G. HUNTINGTON & C. M. HYATT.

TOY BUILDING BLOCK.

APPLICATION FILED on. 29, 1915.

1,216,840, Patented Feb. 20; 1917.

UN TED 'sTATEs PATENT OFFICE. Y

JOSEPH H. RAMSEY, VICTOR c. HUNTINGTON, AND CHARLES M. HYAT'I, or ALBANY,

NEW YORK, ASSIG-NORS TO THE EMBOSSING COMPANY, OF ALBANY, NEW YORK, A.

CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

TOY BUILDING-BLOCK.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Feb; 20, 1917.

Application filed October 29, 1915. Serial No. 58,529.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, J OSEPII H. RAMSEY,- Vrcron (l. HUNTINGTON, and CHARLES M. HYA'rr, citizens of the United States, all residing at Albany, in the county of Albany and State of New York, have invented cer tain new and useful Improvements in Toy lhiilding-lllocks, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to toy building blocks, and its chief object is to provide an improved set of blocks with which children can build a variety of structures and which can be secured together by simple and effective means so that the structures built of the blocks will not be destroyed by a chance v blow but will even hear handling. Tothis and other ends the invention consists in thenovel features and combinations hereinafter described.

The preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying 1 may take.

by giving a pleasing regularity and smoothdrawing, in which Figure 1 shows in perspective five of the various shapes that our improved blocks Fig. 2 is a perspective View illustrating one of the improved dowels or dowel-pins provided for holding the blocks together.

- Figs. 3-and 4 are views, in elevation, of

the ends of two other dowels.

is a rectangular prism, the dimensions-of which are those of two cubes of the size of form A, form C is a triangular prism produced by cutting cube-A in half on a diagonal plane, form D is a triangular prism produced by cutting-block B in half on 'a.

diagonal plane, and form E is a trapezoidal V prism produced by cutting off, on an inclined plane, one-fourth of block A. It will thus be seen that .our cubiform "blocks,

being in size and shape allbasedupon the same cube, match perfectly in the Various structures which can be built of them, thereness to the whole.

To secure the blocks together by meansof dowels) but permit them to be readily separated, they are provided with cylindrical sockets, as F, in their several faces,-

the axes of which sockets. are preferably perpendicular to the said faces. In each face the socket is at the center of the square,

orat the center-of what would be a square if the figure were completed. Thus in block E the socket in the trapezoidal face is at the center of the square bounded by the edges which are perpendicular to each other, as indicated by the dotted lines. In block B" the sockets in the oblong faces are at the centers of the squares into which they are 'Several forms of the, preferred type of dowel are shown in Figs.

2 3 and 4. Each consists of a short piece G of cylindrical form, slotted from each end inwardly well past the center, the planes of the slots being at an angle to each other, as shown in the figures. 'In Fig. 2' the two slots (one at each end) are at right angles. three slots at the front end, 120 apart are each midway between similar slots, indicated by the dotted .lines, at the back. end so that the six slots are spaced equiangularly'. In Fig. 4 there are two diametral slots at an angle of 45 to each other in each end, "the two pairs crossing at right angles so that the eight radial slots are spaced equiangularly. The inner ends of the slots;

In F ig. 3,

are inclined, as shown in'Fig. 5, so as to cOme as near to the end ofthe pm as possible, thereby increasing the yielding quali 1 ties of the pin, without materiall impairing its strength. The. pin is'ma e preferably of wood, as tough and springy' as possible, maple being the best that-we know,

of for the purpose.

In its normal state the pinis very slightly larger indiameter than the sockets in the,

blocks, but iseasily compressible so as to enter the sockets with the utmostease. At: the same-time there is no posslblhty of the pin being split by compression alone, since the compression slmpl I of wood which are 1e t between the slots,

and these tongues can bend only till they bends the tonguescome in contact with each other. In all respects the strength of the pin, so far'as 1101 mal use is concerned, is practically unimpaired by the slotting. Moreover,.when the pin is inserted in the sockets of two contiguous blocks the compression reduces the diameter of the pin with substantial uniformity throughout its length so that the pinphas no appreciable taper, and hence there is practically no wear on the sockets, suchas would tend' to make' the same tapere'd, with the results that even after long continued and constant use the pins still fit the sockets snugly and hence serve to hold .the blocks securely together.

' Byvthe term cubiform blocks as used herein we mean that, as explained above, the blocks are based on a. cube of suitable 3 size, each block being composed of a single c'ube,or of a plurality of cubes, or a frac- Fset or outfit includes a number of tionof; a cube or plurality of cubes, etc. A

' suchblocks, saysixty-six, and a suitable number ofdowels, for example, a hundred and twenty,

It'is vto be understood that the invention is not limited to the embodiment herein specificallydescribed, but can be embodied in other forms without departure from its spirit;

-drical pin of resilient material having longitudinal slots at an angleto each other extending from'the ends inwardly past the center of the pin.

2. A .dowel for the purpose described, 1

comprising a short cylinder of resilient material, having longitudinal slots at an angle to each other extending inwardlyfrom the ends past the center of the cylinder.

A dowel for the purpose described, con'iprising a short cylinder of maple wood, having a plurality of longitudinal slots at an angle to each other. extendinginwardly from the ends past the center of the cylinder.

In testimony whereof we hereunto elimour signatures.

JOSEPH RAMSEY. VICTORY o. HUNTINGTON.

CHARLES M. HYATT. 

